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DUBAI
Land of Endless Luxuries (1/3)
Celebration of excess is the norm in this desert oasis

Erupting from the flat, featureless desert of this Persian Gulf city-state is the tallest building in the world, the Burj Dubai. It is rising at the rate of a floor a week. Some predict it will reach half a mile heavenward, but no one knows for sure. The builders won't reveal its final height for fear of tipping off would-be competitors and being trumped. To ensure its place in the record books, the tower-which will house shops, apartments and a 172-suite Armani hotel when it's finished next year-can be even further elevated in the future.

Shattering records is the mantra these days as this Arabian wonderland aspires to become the top tourist destination in the world. One of the seven United Arab Emirates, the oil-rich sheikdom is strutting onto the global stage. It boasts the world's first indoor black-diamond ski run, largest gold souk, richest horse race, only seven-star hotel and more shopping malls per consumer than any other city in the world.

Incredible attractions
If that's not enough, developers are racing to build the planet's largest amusement park (twice the size of Walt Disney World), largest shopping mall, only luxury underwater hotel, first rotating skyscraper, and offshore artificial islands audaciously shaped like palm trees and the map of the world. Also in the works are life-size replicas of world wonders, including the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Eiffel Tower and the Taj Mahal.

All these in-your-face trophy projects seem to be working. According to tourism official Hamad Mohammed bin Mejren, Dubai has the highest hotel-occupancy rate in the world-at 86 percent tourism. Today's 6.1 million hotel guests, most of them from Europe, the Middle East and Asia, are projected to reach 15 million in three years. They will be accommodated by a frenzy of hotel building.

Vocabulary Focus 

heavenward (adv) ---toward the sky

shatter (v) ---to end suddenly; to break

strut (v) ---to walk in a proud way, trying to look important

trophy project (n. phr) ---a carefully planned piece of work used as a symbol of success

Specialized Terms

black-diamond (adj) ---黑色菱形高难度滑雪道的a skiing classification indicating one of the most difficult trails

souk (n) ---（露天）市场a street market in an Arab city